Monday, May 14, 2018

Organization Tip: Promo Goals #AuthorToolBoxBlogHop

Narrowing down goals from daunting to manageable isn’t just for writing or publishing. (See: Organization Tip: Writing Goals) Many of us have marketing goals that can benefit from this technique, too.

This year, I plan to promote one backlist title a month. 1. I've drafted out which months will be devoted to which books.2. I’ve mapped out exactly what I can do. For Each Book I Have:- 3-4 YouTube videos a month (finished 1-2 months ahead of time)- 1 image for Litsy a week (created ages ago)- 1 tweet a week (pre-scheduled)- 1 Facebook post a week (pre-scheduled)FYI: Litsy is a fun app for book lovers that you can download for free. It's like a cross between Goodreads and Instagram. I love it, and the community there is the friendliest I've ever found.3. When I can, I'll do a sale for my series and $10 - $20 ads to promote that sale.

I don’t have so much stuff on my list that I won’t have writing time. Most of the tasks could be done in a day or two. Some tasks need to be done beforehand, which only requires some planning.

And the thing about these goals is that I’m not trying to make a specific Amazon rank or sell a certain number of eBooks. Admittedly, those goals are tough. I don’t know what will result in sales or how many sales could come out of what I do. No one does. A goal to reach #1 or sell X amount of eBooks can devastate you if you don’t come close.

For me, depression is a real struggle, and that sort of disappointment could set me back big time, as it has in the past. I know better now not to set such a goal or even look at ranks when I do promo. Then how would I know if they work, you ask? I pay attention to other factors: comments, likes, shares, visibility, and the number of reviews, though I no longer read reviews. Rather, I glance. If I see a 4 or 5 star, I may skim the review, but I avoid anything that can set my depression roaring. Live and learn, right?

Anyway, as I was saying, these goals are about getting them done. That’s it. And those are the best goals because if you set out to do them, you’ll achieve them.

Each thing I do on my list for the month receives a nice, big, fat check. And that feels good.

Good luck with all those goals! You're such an organized person. If I had more than one review for any of the books I've released, I'd probably want to stay away from the reviews section too. It's not like responding will change someone's opinion, unless the person has a specific question or issue that was worded respectfully and merits being addressed.

Yup, keep the goals manageable. I wonder if there's a way to track how much various things do impact your rank? But that would change depending on other factors as well, probably. Good luck with your promo efforts.

I'm sure there are ways. I know there's Amazon ad tracking, but I never used it and don't know much about it. But you're right that many factors depend on the results...what is done, the genre of the book, the audience, even the day and time of the year. lol

Social media can be overwhelming. I don't do much on Twitter, but I like Facebook, Instagram, and Litsy. Those are fun and within my abilities. Plus, I often share the same thing on all three, which makes things easier.

My motto is pacing - but I'm not too good at it. I admire you, Chrys for setting these goals and steadily writing despite everything. Promoting a back-list seems to make sense - I just need to create one that's as impressive as yours.

Sounds like a good plan! I think it's good that you don't really read reviews. I know that heavy criticism has sent me into depression in the past, so I'll probably have the same strategy in the future to avoid that.

It's always a good idea to know what you'll do before you have reviews. I hadn't thought of it and wish I had. Of course, my curiosity got the best of me, and boy was my anxiety high every time I checked. Not fun.

A to-do list can be very helpful because it motivates you to get things done; it is very satisfying to cross off all the items on the list. I've never published anything, so promotion isn't something I have to worry about. If and when I do get published, I'm kind of hoping that mind control will be an option by then. Just kidding. Sort of.

I think you have a great attitude. I've struggled with frustration (maybe depression) over underwhelming results, but I have to recognize that I can only make the effort; I can't guarantee the results. That's why I shifted from a word count to a time spent system for my writing quota. I think the question of "where to look for validation" is a very tricky one. Among other things, I like to have a few "very nice" first readers, who always provide a very gentle response. And sometimes I save kind remarks in a folder, so that I can remind myself of those times. And sometimes I'll take a break; go for a run, play a video game, do something that offers a guaranteed "win", but still feels challenging. Thank you for sharing. Good luck with your promotions!

Thank you, Adam! And thanks for sharing your struggles with me and what helps you get through them. I like the idea of saving kind remarks to reviews during times of need. Sometimes we all need those reminders, like pep talks.

Thanks for sharing your approach to marketing. I frequently wonder how much time and effort (and money) other authors put into marketing their books. Your structured approach looks great. I,too, get frustrated with lack of sales and reviews. I tend to dive back into writing rather than asking what I can do better to market myself and my books. I need to change my approach.

Litsy sounds great. I will have to check it out thanks for sharing about it. You have wonderful achievable goals, ones that are in your control and not the control of others like hitting a specific rank or getting a specific number of reviews. I really like how diverse your strategies are. I will be checking out your videos. Thanks, Chrys. I get excited every time I see you posting on organization because I know I will learn something valuable.

I've never heard of Litsy before. It sounds useful so I'll add it to my list to look into :)You're super organised! I wish I could get things done ahead of time. As it is I set too many goals and sometimes get overwhelmed.I'd be so tempted to check reviews for my books, but I know I'm the type of person who'd take them to heart so I'll fight that curiosity!